Sentence Construction and Types — Patwari Notes
This page gives the definition and essential elements of a sentence, the subject-predicate structure, types of sentence by structure and by meaning, identifying dependent clauses, word-order rules, and sentence conversion — all from an exam perspective. These are all rule-based questions, so a clear grasp of the rules earns full marks.
- Class 6-8 level
- 7 min read
Sentence: definition and essential elements
A well-organised group of meaningful words that fully conveys the speaker's intent is called a vakya (sentence). When a word is used in a sentence and takes on a grammatical relationship (case, gender, number, tense), it is called a pad (an inflected word-form).
Six elements are considered necessary for a correct sentence: sarthakta — meaningfulness (the words must be meaningful), yogyata — fitness (the words' capacity to convey sense together; 'वह पानी खाता है' — 'he eats water' — lacks fitness), aakanksha — expectancy (the sentence shouldn't feel incomplete; hearing just 'राम ने' leaves you wanting to know more), aasatti/nikatta — proximity (the words should be spoken close together, without long gaps), padkram — word order (the words should be in the right order), and anvay — agreement (gender, number, person, case and tense must match among the words; 'लड़की जाता है' — 'the girl goes' with a masculine verb — has an agreement error).
Parts of a sentence: Subject (Uddeshya) and Predicate (Vidhey)
| Part | Meaning | Example: 'जंगल के निवासी हिंसक पशुओं से नहीं डरते हैं।' ('Forest dwellers are not afraid of wild animals.') |
|---|---|---|
| उद्देश्य — Subject | That which something is said about (the karta and its extension) | जंगल के निवासी (forest dwellers) |
| उद्देश्य का विस्तार — Extension of the subject | Words describing a quality of the karta | जंगल के (of the forest) |
| विधेय — Predicate | What is said about the subject (the verb, karma, complement and their extension) | हिंसक पशुओं से नहीं डरते हैं (are not afraid of wild animals) |
| विधेय का विस्तार — Extension of the predicate | The verb's qualifier, the karma, the complement, etc. | हिंसक पशुओं से, नहीं (of wild animals, not) |
A simple identification question: 'who/what is being talked about?' = the subject; 'what is said about them?' = the predicate. In 'वह बाज़ार से सामान लाने जाएगा' ('he will go to the market to bring goods'), 'वह' is the subject and the rest of the sentence is the predicate.
Three types of sentence, by structure
| Type | Identification | Example |
|---|---|---|
| सरल (साधारण) वाक्य — Simple sentence | One subject and one main verb (predicate) | बच्चे मैदान में खेल रहे हैं (The children are playing in the field). |
| संयुक्त वाक्य — Compound sentence | Two or more independent (coordinate) clauses, joined by conjunctions | वह बाज़ार गया और सब्ज़ी ले आया (He went to the market and brought vegetables). / मैं आना चाहता था, पर बारिश हो गई (I wanted to come, but it rained). |
| मिश्र वाक्य — Complex sentence | One main clause and one or more dependent clauses | शिक्षकों ने कहा कि वे घर जा रहे हैं (The teachers said that they were going home). / जो परिश्रम करता है, वह सफल होता है (Whoever works hard succeeds). |
Connectors for compound sentences: cumulative (संयोजक: और, तथा, एवं), alternative (विभाजक: या, अथवा, नहीं तो), adversative (विरोधदर्शक: पर, परंतु, किंतु, लेकिन), resultant (परिणामदर्शक: इसलिए, अतः). Connectors for complex sentences: कि, जो-वह, जब-तब, जहाँ-वहाँ, क्योंकि, यदि-तो, ताकि.
Dependent clauses in a complex sentence
| Dependent clause | Function | Identification / connector | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| संज्ञा उपवाक्य — Noun clause | Does the job of the main clause verb's subject/object/complement | Usually starts with 'कि' | उसने कहा कि वह कल आएगा (He said that he would come tomorrow). |
| विशेषण उपवाक्य — Adjective clause | Describes a quality of a noun/pronoun in the main clause | जो, जिसे, जिसका, जिसकी | वह लड़का, जो कल आया था, मेरा भाई है (That boy, who came yesterday, is my brother). |
| क्रियाविशेषण उपवाक्य — Adverb clause | States the main verb's time, place, cause, condition, or manner | जब, जहाँ, क्योंकि, यदि, ताकि, जैसे | जब वर्षा हुई, तब किसान खुश हुए (When it rained, the farmers were happy). |
Eight types of sentence, by meaning
| Type | Sense | Example |
|---|---|---|
| विधानवाचक — Assertive (declarative) | Plain information about an action/state | राजा नगर में आए (The king came to the city). |
| निषेधवाचक — Negative | An action not happening | आज विद्यालय नहीं खुलेगा (The school will not open today). |
| प्रश्नवाचक — Interrogative | Asking a question | क्या तुमने पाठ पढ़ा? (Did you read the lesson?) |
| आज्ञावाचक — Imperative | Command, request, plea | कृपया बैठ जाइए (Please sit down). |
| इच्छावाचक — Optative | Wish, blessing, good wishes | ईश्वर तुम्हें सफल करे (May God grant you success). |
| संदेहवाचक — Doubtful (suppositive) | Doubt or possibility | शायद आज वर्षा हो (Perhaps it will rain today). |
| संकेतवाचक — Conditional | One action depends on another (a condition) | यदि तुम मेहनत करोगे तो सफल होगे (If you work hard, you will succeed). |
| विस्मयादिबोधक — Exclamatory | A sense of surprise, joy, sorrow, etc. | वाह! कितना सुंदर दृश्य है! (Wow! What a beautiful sight!) |
A sentence with 'यदि-तो' is complex by structure and conditional by meaning — both can be true at once. So always check whether the question is asking 'by structure' or 'by meaning'.
Word-order rules and sentence conversion
The normal word order of a Hindi sentence is karta + karma + verb (राम ने फल खाया — 'Ram ate the fruit'). With a ditransitive verb, the secondary object comes first and the main object after (माँ ने बच्चे को दूध दिया — 'Mother gave the child milk'). An adjective comes before the noun it describes (मीठा आम — 'sweet mango'), an adverb usually comes before the verb (वह धीरे चलता है — 'he walks slowly'), a qualifier word comes before the word it qualifies, a complement comes before the verb (राम राजा बना — 'Ram became king'), and a perfective participial verb comes before the main verb (वह खाकर सो गया — 'he ate and went to sleep'). When the interrogative 'क्या' forms a yes/no question, it comes at the start of the sentence (क्या तुम चलोगे? — 'will you come?'). This order can be changed in poetry or for emphasis.
In sentence conversion, the meaning doesn't change, only the structure does. Simple: 'परिश्रमी छात्र सफल होते हैं' ('Hard-working students succeed'). Complex: 'जो छात्र परिश्रमी होते हैं, वे सफल होते हैं' ('Students who are hard-working succeed'). Compound: 'छात्र परिश्रम करते हैं और सफल होते हैं' ('Students work hard and succeed'). Using a perfective participial verb ('-कर') in a simple sentence is the easiest technique for simplifying a compound sentence: 'वह आया और बैठ गया' becomes 'वह आकर बैठ गया' ('he came and sat down').
Memory trick / exam tip
See 'कि, जो, जब, यदि, क्योंकि' → complex sentence; see 'और, या, पर, इसलिए' → compound sentence; a single verb → simple sentence. The order for remembering the meaning-based types: 'assertive-negative-interrogative-imperative-optative-doubtful-conditional-exclamatory'. 'Negative' (nishedhvachak) is a meaning-based category — if it appears among structure-based options, it's the odd one out.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many types of sentence are there, by structure?+
Three — simple, compound, and complex. Negative, interrogative, and the like are categories based on meaning.
What is the difference between a compound and a complex sentence?+
In a compound sentence, all the clauses are independent and are joined by connectors like 'और, पर, इसलिए'. In a complex sentence, there is one main clause and one or more dependent clauses, joined by connectors like 'कि, जो, जब, यदि'.
How many types of sentence are there, by meaning?+
Eight — assertive, negative, interrogative, imperative, optative, doubtful, conditional, and exclamatory.
How do I identify the subject and predicate?+
Whatever the sentence is talking about is the subject, and whatever is said about it is the predicate. The subject contains the karta and its extension; the predicate contains the verb and its extension.